GREEN ICT REPORT SERIES A Connection Research Green Paper

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U Un nd de er rs st ta an nd di in ng g a an nd d M Me ea as su ur ri in ng g G Gr re ee en n I IC CT T

















A Green Paper by Connection Research
April 2010










A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 2

2010 Connection Research Services Pty Ltd (ABN 47 092 657 513)


All rights reserved. The content of this report represents our interpretation and analysis of
information gathered from various sources, but is not guaranteed as to accuracy or completeness.
Reproduction or disclosure in whole or in part to other parties, by any means whatsoever, shall be
made only upon the written and express consent of Connection Research Services Pty Ltd.

V 2.3 20 April 2010






Connection Research
Level 1, 21 Chandos St
St Leonards NSW 2065
Australia

Phone: +61 2 9467 9800
www.connectionresearch.com.au
www.cemsus.com



About Connection Research
Connection Research is an Australian market research and analysis company with a focus on
corporate and consumer usage of sustainable and digital technologies. Its primary methodology is
demand-side research, surveying consumers of technology about usage patterns, attitudes and
plans. It operates across four practice areas: Green ICT, Carbon and Compliance, Building Industry
and Trades, and Community Sustainability.












Report Author:

Graeme Philipson, Research Director, Connection Research
graemep@connectionresearch.com.au


A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 3
Table of Contents


Why A Framework? .......................................................................................................................... 4


Understanding the Green ICT Framework......................................................................................... 6

Equipment Lifecycle ...................................................................................................................... 6
End User Computing ..................................................................................................................... 8
Enterprise Computing ................................................................................................................... 9
ICT as a Low-Carbon Enabler ....................................................................................................... 12


Green ICT Actions ........................................................................................................................... 14

Attitude ...................................................................................................................................... 14
Policy .......................................................................................................................................... 15
Practice ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Technology.................................................................................................................................. 15
Metrics ........................................................................................................................................ 16


Measuring Green ICT ...................................................................................................................... 16


References ...................................................................................................................................... 19


A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 4
Why A Framework?

Green ICT sometimes called Green IT is a much-discussed topic, in the ICT industry and beyond.
The problem is, it means different things to different people. There are too many definitions, and
not enough definition.

This lack of definition has made it difficult to measure the effectiveness or the extent of an
organisations implementation of Green ICT. As the old saying goes, you cant manage what you
cant measure. And you cant measure what you cant define.

Connection Research uses a Green ICT Framework as a way of defining Green ICT and understanding
its many components. This Framework was developed in conjunction with RMIT University in
Melbourne, whose School of Business Information Technology has developed a hierarchical
G-Readiness Framework
1
.

The Framework is called the Connection Research-RMIT Green ICT Framework. It categorises four
general areas, or pillars of Green ICT: Lifecycle, End User, Enterprise and Enablement, and breaks
each of these down further. Lifecycle, for example, comprise the three components of Procurement,
Recycle and Reuse, and Disposal. Across these four pillars are five actions: Attitude, Policy,
Behaviour, Technology and Metrics.

Once Green ICT is broken into its constituent components, as the Framework does, it becomes
possible to measure each component. This is done using the Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
2
, a
standardised way of quantifying the maturity of a business process. These metrics can then be
turned into a series of indices, which then allow organisations to be compared to each other, and to
themselves over time.

This Connection Research Green Paper explains the Green ICT Framework, briefly examining each of
its components. It also looks at the measurement or benchmarking process Connection Research
has developed to help organisations measure where they are in each aspect of their Green ICT
process. The benchmarks are aligned with the Green ICT Framework, allowing a granular approach
to measuring Green ICT maturity.

To many people, Green ICT is only about reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint of
the ICT function within the organisation. ICT is a significant consumer of electricity worldwide, on a
par with the airline industry. Therefore it makes sense, as emission reduction becomes desirable and
even mandatory, that ICT users should look at ways of reducing the energy consumption of their
systems.

But there is more to Green ICT than that which is why Green ICT is becoming an increasingly
important issue. Green ICT goes beyond the ICT function and the ICT department in many ways
ICT, and Green ICT, is a central enabling technology to many aspects of sustainability. In very many
cases ICT provides the measurement tool, the data repository, the reporting mechanism and the
mitigation techniques that make sustainability possible.
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 5

Green ICT is becoming an important issue for many reasons. Data centre power bills are soaring as
electricity prices go up and new server technologies pack more and more processors, which
consume more and more power, into less and less space
3
. Water cooling is making a comeback to
handle the heat dissipation issues. At the same time tough economic circumstances are putting a
greater focus on running costs, and power consumption as a component of those costs is becoming
more visible. Reporting requirements are becoming more stringent and there is an increased
awareness across business and society of the unsustainability of many current consumption
patterns.

In the 1990s research consultancy Gartner popularised the concept of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
of ICT equipment
4
. TCO, as its name suggests, is based on the full cost of equipment over its entire
life, not just the purchase price. It takes into account running costs, maintenance, upgrades, etc. For
PCs, Gartner computed that the TCO over the life of a PC could exceed the original purchase price by
a factor of three or more.

Until recently many TCO computations have not taken into account the costs of the power to run the
ICT equipment. That is because power costs have been comparatively low, and because ICT
departments and users are rarely billed separately for the electricity they consume and have no
visibility of it.

This is now changing. Electricity costs are rising and more and more ICT departments are including
power costs in their budgets as metering capabilities improve. Despite innovations such as server
virtualisation and Green PCs, power consumption is also rising, as increased processing power
means hotter processors, which means more cooling.

Power consumption will become a very significant component of the TCO of enterprise computing in
the next few years. This rise in both power bills and power usage means that the power
consumption of the ICT process is becoming much more noticeable. Even if organisations are unable
to directly measure their ICT power consumption, they are often aware that it is too high and should
be lowered if possible.

There are many well-documented ways of reducing ICTs power consumption, such as server and
storage virtualisation and consolidation, Green PCs, thin clients, etc. The disciplines, technologies
and methodologies are reasonably well known, but not so widely discussed is ICTs enabling effect
its ability to reduce an organisations carbon footprint by facilitating more efficient and less carbon-
intensive work practices teleconferencing instead of flying or commuting, improved supply chain
management, the use of ICT systems to replace carbon-intensive applications, ICT-enabled energy
reduction systems, smart metering, etc.

This aspect of ICT as a low-carbon enabler is an important component of the Green ICT Framework.
It is not enough simply to reduce ICTs carbon footprint to make a real difference, ICT must be
harnessed to greater purposes.
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 6
Understanding the Green ICT Framework

The Connection Research-RMIT Green ICT Framework takes a holistic view of Green ICT and
sustainability, across the enterprise, and then drills into individual technologies and business best
practices. It contains four vertical components, or pillars, each of which is broken further into
specific areas of Green ICT; and five horizontal components, or actions which describe separate
approaches to the verticals. These are described in greater detail below.

The Connection Research-RMIT Green ICT Framework



Source: Connection Research

This Framework is used by many organisations to categorise the many aspects of Green ICT. It is also
used extensively by Connection Research and its business partners to conduct surveys into Green ICT
usage patterns and in conducting Green ICT benchmarking.


Equipment Lifecycle

This pillar covers the acquisition and procurement of ICT equipment, and disposal or recycling at the
end of its lifecycle in an environmentally responsible fashion.

ICT equipment, like all other equipment, passes through a lifecycle. It is manufactured, sold (and for
every sale there is a purchase), used and often reused, and then ultimately disposed of. That
disposal may mean it is discarded or destroyed, but it may also be sold or given to another person or
organisation, where it has another lifecycle contained within its larger lifecycle.
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 7
Procurement

Procurement is arguably the most important aspect of green ICT in terms of making an overall
impact on sustainability. At least as much energy is spent in manufacturing a PC as it consumes in its
lifetime
5
.

There are two aspects to green procurement the nature of the equipment itself, and the nature of
the suppliers of that equipment. The equipment an organisation purchases may comply with
environmental standards such as Energy Star and the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment
Tool (EPEAT)
6
. However, consideration should also be given to the suppliers own green strategies
and carbon footprint. This includes such things as the suppliers environmental values in the design
and manufacture of equipment and how it measures them, its compliance with relevant
environmental laws and codes of practice, and whether the supplier reclaims and recycles old
equipment from customers.

Organisations are increasingly developing policies for measuring the environmental performance of
their ICT suppliers. The degree of energy efficiency, product life-cycle emissions and the level of
waste associated with any procured equipment are becoming important purchasing factors. In
addition to the usual criteria of price, performance and service levels, tenders and requests for
proposals (RFPs) are also often evaluating suppliers on their environmental credentials and asking
for details of their own green practices and policies. To reduce waste, some organisations will only
buy from suppliers that will deliver their equipment, unpack and take the packaging away with them.

Recycle and Reuse

All organisations replace their ICT equipment periodically. Some have
regular refresh cycles, some wait till they have to, some utilise some sort of
continuous update process (especially with software). This is a natural
aspect of the ICT function. But many organisations replace equipment too
early, often through a fear of not being able to run the latest versions of
software. This can create unnecessary waste and expenditure as few
organisations always need the latest versions of hardware and software to
function adequately.

Even when it is time for a system upgrade, it may not be necessary for the
whole enterprise. Areas of the organisation that really do need new
equipment may be able to pass on their old equipment to other parts of
the organisation, perhaps those with less mission critical activities. Any
equipment that conforms to the organisations hardware standards, and
that can run a version of software the vendor still supports, is potentially
redeployable. Staff turnover and redeployment also provides an
opportunity to look at redeploying equipment, especially when roles are
not being refilled.

A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 8
Disposal of ICT Systems

No matter how far an organisation can extend the useful life of equipment, or how much retired
equipment it can sell or reuse, there will always be some that it will need to be physically disposed
of. Environmentally sound disposal practices predate the concept of Green ICT, as many
organisations have been conscious for some time of the importance of reducing environmental
damage from e-waste (electronic waste).

In recent years e-waste has become big business. A whole industry has grown up around the
disposal of ICT and other electronic equipment, often based on the extraction of precious metals
from printed circuit boards and other components. In many jurisdictions e-waste laws have been
enacted, making the environmentally friendly disposal of e-waste mandatory
7
.


End User Computing

End User Computing is that part of the ICT process which the end user controls. There are four areas
personal computing (desktop), personal computing (mobile), departmental computing, and
printing and consumables. For each of these there are a range of different technologies and
techniques that can reduce the organisations power consumption and carbon footprint. End User
Computing is especially important because, as the only part of ICT that exists outside of the
specialised ICT function, it has the greatest effect on the wider green attitudes and behaviour of the
organisations workforce.

Personal Computing

Desktop Computing: Important on all sizes of organisation. In
smaller organisations it is important because it represents the main areas
of Green ICT, and in larger organisations the sheer numbers of end users
mean that efficiencies in this area can make an enormous difference to
energy consumption. Important practices include turning PCs off and
various PC power management techniques, and important technologies
include thin client computing.

Mobile Computing: An increasing number of end users of
corporate ICT systems are no longer tethered to their desktops. They work
in cafes, in client offices, on public transport and at home. Many of them
use laptop computers, which have similar power management issues to
desktop computers. But many of them also use an array of other mobile
devices, such as netbook computers, smart phones and PDAs (personal
digital assistants). These devices do not in themselves use a large amount
of power, but there are still a number of Green ICT considerations that
need to be taken into account with their usage.

A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 9
Departmental Computing

In many organisations, particularly larger ones, there is a significant amount of computing that takes
place in end user departments away from the control of the ICT department. Some of this computing
activity can be quite substantial, equal in scale to what might be described as enterprise computing
in smaller organisations. The issues that apply are a mix of these that apply to personal computing
(see above) and to enterprise computing (see below).

Departmental computing systems typically comprise of servers, storage devices and peripherals that
are not housed in data centres. They are often of a significant size, and often very inefficient in both
their usage of energy and their usage of resources. They are a prime target for energy reduction.

Printing and Consumables

Printing is one of the largest consumers of resources in the ICT function. There are a number of
factors, of which the actual power consumption of printers is just one. Printers are very inefficient
users of energy. They are usually left on, and consume significant amounts of energy even when idle.
But there are many other factors which, while they do not directly affect the organisations power
consumption, have a significant effect on the environment.

Printers use material, known in the ICT industry as consumables: paper and toner or ink. These can
cause major environmental problems, both in their production and their disposal. And printers
themselves are environmentally unfriendly devices they are bulky, they are built from materials
that are difficult to recycle or even toxic, and they require more maintenance than most other
devices mainly because they have so many moving parts. All of these problems can be alleviated by
simply printing less.


Enterprise Computing

Enterprise Computing is that part of the ICT function controlled directly by the ICT department
typically the data centre, networking, software development and outsourcing. In organisations large
enough to have a data centre, the effective management of the equipment within it and its
environment can be one of the most important aspects of Green ICT.

Data Centre ICT Equipment

The two most important types of ICT equipment in the data centre include servers (including
mainframes) and storage devices. Servers are usually the biggest consumers of power, and that
power consumption continues to rise as more powerful processors are used inside them, and as the
number of servers proliferates
8
.

A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 10
The average power consumption of a rack of servers has increased fivefold over the last ten years,
when cooling requirements are taken into account
9
. Storage usage is also increasing exponentially
and as prices drop storage devices are often used very inefficiently.

Server and storage virtualisation has become one of the key technologies in data centres in recent
years. It is often touted as a technology for reducing power consumption, because it reduces the
overall number of devices, but in practice most data centres power consumption continues to rise
because the devices are becoming more powerful and use more electricity.

Data Centre Environmentals

Quite apart from the ICT equipment in the data centre, there is the issue of the data centre itself.
The data centres non-ICT infrastructure can quite easily (and most often does) consume more
power than the ICT equipment within it. There are three main aspects:

The power supply. Data centres usually have dedicated power supplies, and very often more
than one. Their efficiency varies enormously. Data centres can also generate their own
power, and backup power supplies are common for business continuity.

Cooling and lighting. Modern ICT equipment typically demands significant amounts of
cooling, either air cooling or water cooling. There are many design and implementation
issues that affect power consumption. Lighting is also a factor.

The building that houses the data centre. This may be a dedicated stand-alone facility, or it
may be purpose-built within a larger facility, or it may be retrofitted into existing premises.
Whatever the case, there are a number of aspects of the built environment that will have an
effect on power consumption, such as insulation.

Networking and Communications

Communications the C in ICT plays a significant role in modern ICT. There are a number of
green issues specifically to do with communications. These include:

Local Area Networking many organisations LANs and data centre networks consist largely
of an untidy collection of cables that consume large amounts of power and which add to
cooling requirements. More efficient cabling design means lower power consumption.

Wide Area Networking many organisations use leased data lines or VPNs (virtual private
networks) over the Internet. While they do not have direct control over these networks,
their inefficient usage adds to overall power consumption and increases the overall carbon
footprint.

Wireless communication wireless will never wholly replace cabling, but it is becoming
more widely used and it does have a major role to play. But wireless communications can be
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 11
very inefficient, especially when transmitters and receivers are left on when they are not
being used.

Outsourcing and Cloud Computing

Outsourcing has been one of the big issues in ICT since the industry began, with computer bureaux,
in the 1950s. The issues have evolved as the technology has evolved. Ultimately, all outsourcing is a
make vs. buy decision. Is it more effective to make or do something yourself, or have someone else
build it or do it for you? The equation keeps changing, depending on a number of factors.

In ICT, outsourcing discussions have traditionally centred around the issues
of cost and capability. The cost argument usually runs along the lines of the
outsourcer having economies of scale that are unavailable in-house, and
the capability argument along the lines that the requisite skills are not
available in-house.

The rise of sustainability as an issue has added a new dimension to the ICT
outsourcing debate. Many facilities management companies are now
highlighting their green credentials and building energy-efficient data
centres that they say will enable users to lower their overall carbon
footprint. That may well be the case, but the traditional make versus buy
arguments still hold. One key issue with outsourcing, and one that is
overlooked surprisingly often, is that of measurement. It is impossible to
tell if outsourcing is a good deal or not financially if you dont know the real
cost of what is being outsourced. Similarly, you cant tell if an outsourcer is
going to reduce your carbon footprint if you dont know what it is to start
with.

A recent complication to the outsourcing debate is the emergence of cloud
computing, where processing takes place in the cloud somewhere on
the Internet far from the user. Cloud computing is not necessarily outsourced, but it very often is
making the debate even more complex.

Software Architecture

Computer systems consist of software running on hardware. Indeed, it is often argued that the
software is the system, and that the hardware is simply an enabling technology. Most discussion
about Green ICT refers to hardware, but software is also a factor.

The software architecture often determines the hardware architecture, which in turn may have a
significant effect on the amount or type of hardware used with all the consequences of the energy
consumption of those systems. The way software is developed and used is significant code can be
efficient, or it can be bloatware. Systems can be developed from scratch, adapted or borrowed
(with objects) from other software, or purchased off-the-shelf. Each approach has consequences
for energy consumption.
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 12


ICT as a Low-Carbon Enabler

It is generally agreed that ICT is responsible for around 2 percent of the worlds carbon emissions
mainly through the usage of electricity to run the hardware, much of which comes from carbon-
emitting power stations. That means that even if the carbon footprint of the entire worlds ICT
function was halved, overall emissions would fall by only 1 percent.

The real potential benefits of Green ICT are in using ICT as an enabling technology to help the
organisation, and the wider community, reduce its carbon emissions. That is covered by the fourth
pillar of the Framework.

Governance and Compliance

Many organisations nowadays are conscious of the desirability of being a good corporate citizen.
Increasingly, that means acting in a green and sustainable manner. Publicity about climate change
and related issues has greatly raised the profile of sustainability, and virtually all organisations are
attempting to boost their green credentials. In some cases they do it because they are forced to, in
some cases it is a case of greenwash or paying only lip service to environmental matters. But in
many cases the organisations management sincerely wants to do the right thing.

Corporate Governance is a term that has come into common use in the last decade to describe the
processes by which organisations ensure that they are properly managed
10
, not only in terms of
meeting their regulatory obligations, but to ensure that they do the right things by all their
stakeholders. This over-used term typically includes management, shareholders and staff, and is
often extended to include business partners and others in the organisations extended supply chain.

There is now an increased awareness that, when it comes to the environment, everybody is a
stakeholder, and that good corporate governance also includes good environmental management.
Green ICT is in many ways a management and governance issue. ICT governance refers to the
practices and methodologies that ensure that ICT is managed properly
11
, and corporate governance
refers to the practices and methodologies that ensure that the corporation is managed properly.

Teleworking and Collaboration

The term teleworking covers a range of technologies and practices that have to do with working at
a distance or working remotely
12
. The carbon reduction benefits of teleworking are mostly related to
removing the necessity of personal travel if people dont have to drive a car or catch a plane to do
their work, they are reducing their carbon footprint by the amount of fuel generated by that travel.
Varieties of teleworking include telecommuting, teleconferencing and videoconferencing, and
telepresence (a form of high-resolution videoconferencing).

A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 13
Collaboration tools and techniques enhance the capability of a group of people to work together.
There are a great many ways to do this, but all of them entail being able to share documents,
processes and information, making their business processes more efficient (see below) and reducing
the need for physical contact. In that sense, collaboration is a teleworking, with all the benefits of
that process.

Business Process Management

Business Process Management (BPM) is the process of improving the ways
an organisation or an individual does things making them more efficient,
with fewer steps or greater effect. The term is used in both a specific and a
general sense. The specific sense refers to a management discipline called
BPM, which typically identifies five phases: Design, Modelling, Execution,
Monitoring and Optimisation. In the general sense, BPM refers to the
overall process of managing and improving business processes. ICT has a
major role to play in improving most business processes. It provides both
the tools for modelling the processes and many of the enabling
technologies for execution.

Business Applications

Most organisations run a number of ICT-based business applications. The
range varies greatly depending on the industry sector, but typical
applications include Financial Management Information Systems (FMIS),
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and
Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Many organisations also run more specialised or even
custom applications specific to their industry, or to provide them with competitive advantage.

ICT is very important in each of these applications, which are essentially specialised business process
management exercises. Managers seek greater efficiencies in every phase of every process. The
fewer times and the shorter distance physical items have to be moved, the better. The fewer
transactions that need to be made, the better.

Very small improvements can have a significant effect, because of the scale of the operation and
because of flow-on effects further up (or down) the supply chain. Green ICT has a very important
role in improving the efficiency of many industrial and commercial processes specific to individual
industries, such as the manufacturing process, electricity distribution, and engineering and
construction. Every industry has unique processes which can be made more efficient through the
application of ICT and efficiency means green.

Carbon Emissions Management

Carbon Emissions Management is an emerging discipline which focuses on the management and
ultimately the mitigation of an organisations carbon emissions. This includes the use of ICT
systems specifically designed to reduce the carbon footprint, rather than doing so as a byproduct of
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 14
greater efficiency. A key ICT application is Carbon Emissions Management Software (CEMS), which
provide a compliant and consistent format for presenting greenhouse gas emission data to executive
management and regulators
13
.

As the carbon emissions regulatory framework continues to evolve, CEMS is becoming an
increasingly popular tool to manage the carbon emissions lifecycle. The market will continue to
mature and will most likely consolidate around major technology vendors and a smaller group of
niche or vertical industry players, and CEMS products will become a functional component within
many organisations application portfolio. Connection Research has researched the CEMS market,
and written a major report on the background to CEMS and how to select and implement a product.
See www.cemsus.com


Green ICT Actions

The horizontal dimension, or actions, of the framework has five components. The first four are
Attitude, Policy, Practice and Technology. Each can be applied across each of the four pillars. These
Actions are based broadly on the first level of RMIT Universitys hierarchy, with the exception that
Metrics replaces RMIT Universitys Governance.

Green ICT Actions



Source: RMIT and Connection Research


Attitude

Attitude is an intangible thing. It describes how we think, rather than how we act. Most of all it is
about attitude or culture. It is a necessary starting point: a desire to change is followed by a
commitment to change, which is followed by actions, which is followed by measurement of the
effectiveness of those actions.
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 15
Having a positive attitude towards Green ICT is very important it precedes everything else. And, as
is often the case in business, those attitudes are most effective if they come from the top.
Management buy-in is an essential part of any Green ICT program.


Policy

There are many aspects to Green ICT policy. There are lots of things we can do in employing energy-
efficient technologies and making effective usage of existing technologies, and there are many ways
we can reduce the energy consumption and/or the carbon footprint of the organisation.

Any effective enterprise-wide ICT energy reduction policy needs to be holistic, coherent, and
properly managed and monitored. A policy development framework includes the establishment of
policies, the communication of those policies, the enforcement of those policies, and the
measurement of policy effectiveness and mitigation strategies. A Green ICT policy framework must
be established to ensure green ICT becomes a business-endorsed program of work rather than a
discreet ICT project. It must take into account the required roles and responsibilities, skill-sets,
commitments, targets, deliverables and methodologies used.


Practice

Practice refers to techniques and behaviour things we do. There are many practices that
individuals and organisations can adopt that directly help in the greening of the ICT function. And
the great advantage of most of them is that they cost nothing they do not involve the purchase of
any new hardware or software, but simply the alteration of habits and mindsets. Good examples are
turning off PCs when not in use, recycling printer paper and printing less, and using ICT equipment
for longer rather than replacing it when it is still useful. The simplest things are often the most
effective.


Technology

Some people think of Green ICT primarily in terms of technology thin clients, virtualised servers,
duplex printers. These are important, but they are ultimately just part of the picture. Too big a focus
on technology means that people often concentrate on the purchase price of that technology,
leading to a belief that Green ICT costs money, where the opposite is actually the case.

The costs of new technology are such that very few people will buy a new piece of equipment simply
because it is greener. The costs involved are often not worth the return, particularly when we take
into account the waste inherent in disposing of the old equipment while it is still useful. By far the
best way in most cases to approach the issue of Green ICT technology is to take Green ICT principles
into account as part of the normal equipment replacement cycle.
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 16
Metrics

The fifth action is Metrics. It is also applied across the four pillars, but it is approached differently to
the other four. You cant manage what you cant measure, says the old business maxim. An
effective Green ICT strategy should clearly identify reduction measures in such areas as achieving
energy savings, reducing carbon emissions, improving recycling efforts and conserving water.

Choosing the right tools to measure, monitor, manage and mitigate power consumption and carbon
emissions, both inside and outside the ICT department, is critical in ensuring that Green ICT projects
are successful over time. Only with adequate metrics can progress be determined. Connection
Research therefore identifies four phases (the Four Ms) of the metrics process:

Measure: The application of metrics to any aspect of the Green ICT process. A problem with
this important first step is that in many cases metrics, or units of measurement, dont exist.
What should be measured, and what are the units?

Monitor: Simply, continuous measurement. The ability to measure any process against itself
over time to determine whether it is improving or not.

Manage: Taking the results of the measurement and monitoring process and determining
from that data what should be done to improve the process.

Mitigate: Managing the process is such a way that a permanent improvement is made in the
process, which usually means a change to the process.

The next section describes an approach to Green ICT metrics undertaken by Connection Research
and used to benchmark an organisations Green ICT maturity level.


Measuring Green ICT

The Green ICT Framework is a mature, tested and practical taxonomy which describes all aspects of
Green ICT. The next step is to apply metrics to each aspect of the framework to measure an
organisations level of capability in that aspect. Connection Research does this by use of a modified
Capability Maturity Model (CMM).

The concept of the CMM is often used in the ICT industry to describe the level of implementation of
various systems. First developed by Watts Humphrey at Carnegie Mellon University, a CMM defines
five levels of maturity in the use of any system or technology.

Applying the five-level CMM across each of the five aspects of Green ICT provides a useful
framework for determining the maturity of an organisations Green ICT strategy. This framework is
the basis of Connection Researchs Green ICT Readiness Index (GrICT
X
)
14
. Connection Research uses a
common adaptation of the CMM, which adds an extra level zero to indicate no activity at all.
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 17

Connection Research determines the maturity levels through the administration of a survey which
asks questions about each aspect of Green ICT, as identified in the Framework. Questions are asked
about actions (attitude, policy, practice, technology, metrics), for each of the four pillars. Each
question is constructed to rate that factor on a CMM scale from 0 to 5, then all relevant questions in
each of the four pillars are aggregated and weighted to deliver a score (out of 100) for that pillar. A
similar process is followed for all the metrics questions, with metrics then being treated, for the
purposes of analysis, as a fifth pillar.


Green ICT Capability Maturity Model



Source: Connection Research


Connection Research has administered this survey to over 500 organisations around the world, a
sufficiently large base to develop average ratings for industry sectors and different sizes of
organisation. Taking the average ranking across each component provides an index, which can also
be determined separately for each component, and compared by industry across each component.
Each technology or methodology within each component can also be compared, providing a
complete picture of Green ICT maturity, or readiness, by industry sector and by size of
organisation.

This methodology allows individual organisations to be compared to others of the size or from their
industry sector in other words, it allows them to be benchmarked. This benchmarking is applied
across each of the four pillars of the Framework, plus Metrics, allowing an individual organisation to
easily determine whether it is above or below average in its Green ICT maturity in each area. This
Never thought about it, no awareness
0 No Intention
Some awareness. Considered, but not implemented
1 Initial
Some ad hoc implementation, but no strategy
2 Replicable
Formal programs have been defined, but implementation is
immature
3 Defined
Methodical implementation of programs, with adequate
measurement and management
4 Managed
All activities are monitored and managed for optimal
performance. Best practice
5 Optimised
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 18
allows five separate Green ICT indices to be developed, plus an overall index that summarises the
maturity of that organisations Green ICT behaviour.

Further analysis, of the responses to individual questions in the survey, can then identify specific
policies or technologies that might be implemented to improve the organisations Green ICT
maturity in that area.

Sample Green ICT Readiness Index
















Source: Connection Research

The above illustrative charts, of fictional company Acme Wholesaling, shows how this process works
in action. Acmes rating, based on its survey results, are determined by taking its CMM ratings for
each question and categorising them by the appropriate pillar of Framework (plus Metrics). The
overall result in each category is converted to a score out of 100. Acmes results are then compared
to the averages for all organisations in its industry (in this case Wholesale and Retail), and to the
respondent base as a whole.

The result is a simple, yet highly effective, Green ICT benchmarking tool.




For more information, visit www.connectionresearch.com.au


-o-O-o-

45.4
31.8
54.0
36.0
36.2
40.7
56.7
48.0
74.0
52.0
32.0
52.5
43.2
30.5
52.5
31.6
39.4
39.5
Lifecycle
End User
Enterprise
Enablement
Metrics
OVERALL INDEX
Wholesale & Retail
Acme Wholesaling
Cross-Industry Average
Lifecycle
End User
Enterprise Enablement
Metrics
Wholesale & Retail
Acme Wholesaling
Cross-Industry Average
A Green ICT Framework Connection Research 2010 page 19
References


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Koomey, J.G. (2007) Estimating Total Power Consumption by Servers in the U.S. and the World
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